SORT

STRAIGHTEN

SHINE

STANDARDIZE

SUST

AIN

THE AMAZING,

INCREDIBLE, POWERFUL

5S

Authored By: Lisa MachosLEAN Implementation & Six Sigma Action Systems

ORIGINS of 5SHistory5S was developed as part of Just In Time (JIT) inventory management (First Pillar of the House of Quality) in manufacturing by Toyota Production System in Japan. Toyota’s application of the 5S methodology, originally proposed by Hirano was based on 4S (with Seiton and Seiso combined). The steps (whether its 4 or 5) are based on organizing an efficient workspace.

The Tie of 5S to LEANDue to the principals of 5S method in creating efficient workspaces and physical areas, it is closely related to the principals of *LEAN Methodology to create efficiency and streamline all aspects of an organization.

*See my Slideshare on “The Power of LEAN”

SORT(Seiri): this deals with organizing what is useful and what can or should be removed to improve efficiency.

SHINE

(Seiso): This step is to clean and sanitize items. This can also translate into maintenance of any type of machinery.

STRAIGHTEN(Seiton): this is the reorganization and categorization of the necessary items, ensuring the flow of the items in the most logical and time effective order and manner, and making a specified space for placement for each item.

5S Progression Diagram

SUSTAIN(Shitsuke): This step deals with maintaining all of the other steps, and is discussed in detail below.

STANDARDIZE(Seiketsu): This step translates into making the organization of separate areas consistent with each other which contributes to the efficiency of flow and time for multiple people that may have access or use of the area or items.

Zone 5 Project - E-Commerce CompanyBy Lisa Machos – Solo Project

BEFORE

AFTER

BENEFITS OF 5S1. 5S’d work environments are 30% more productive2. Reduces Stress3. Provide Flow/ Access/ Information quickly and

easily de facto more efficient 4. Increase safety, mitigate hazardous areas, debris

and material5. Take pride in the company and its image6. Take pride in your professional appearance and

perception7. Physical 5S projects make a major visual impact to

LEAN improvements

BEGINNING A 5S PROJECTSelect the Right Team – make sure you select team members based on the following criteria:

o Participants are able to complete 5S project when it is scheduled – some 5S projects require deconstruction and therefore need to be completed “off-hours” so as to not disrupt business operations.

o Participants are physically able to complete 5S project – if your project includes heavy lifting, heavy cleaning, etc. be sure to include these aspects when choosing/ recruiting team members. Releases, waivers & safety precautions may need to be considered in these circumstances.

o Participants who are proactive – in the midst of a 5S project and tight deadline, its very difficult to direct team members on every little thing that must get done. Ensure they have had 5S training, awareness of the plan and vision overall and the motivation. Otherwise they really will be ‘just a body.’

BEGINNING A 5S PROJECT

Take ‘BEFORE’ Pictures & Videos:

o At times, leaders and participants in a 5S project become so enthusiastic about the change ahead or so disenchanted by the current state, they fail to memorialize the start of improvements.

o Always take pictures and videos of at the beginning of your improvement projects (wherever possible) to illustrate the extent of the efforts. Without this memorialization, even for colleagues familiar with the current state, the measureable results can not be fully recognized and appreciated unless captured visually in comparison to the ‘AFTER’ memorialization.

BEGINNING A 5S PROJECTMake a Plan

o Collect Input & InformationIt’s important to always collect input from various stakeholders and other “users” of a space as part of the plan. This is to ensure the objectives of the 5S Project meet everyone’s expectations and needs.

o Review ResourcesAs part of your plan, review all resources. This can be people to help execute in addition to your core team, measuring space, evaluating storage and active spaces, scheduling of the project to not disrupt business, etc. Although the main goal of most 5S projects I have is to complete them without expenditure, in some cases a budget review is necessary as part of the plan.

o Scope the Future StateThere are many different techniques to scope out the future (end) state of your 5S Project, but with any of them, there should be a clear visual depiction, or written steps (and often times both) of how the %S Project will be executed and what the completion will look like once completed. This ensures the goals are met, time tables are kept to, and everyone stays on the same page.

o ApprovalIn many circumstances, you will need to obtain approval for your final plan, even if you’ve been assigned the task. Creating a plan that includes sign off from other stakeholders, a thorough inventory of your resources and a robust visual plan to the execution will show strong diligence to your approach and success of the project to the powers that be.

Office Re-design 5S Project - Non-Profit/ Retail Company

Lead By: Lisa Machos – Team Project of 8BEFORE

AFTER

Office Re-design 5S Project - Non-Profit/ Retail Company

Lead By: Lisa Machos – Team Project of 8

BEFORE

AFTER

Office Re-design 5S Project - Non-Profit/ Retail Company

Lead By: Lisa Machos – Team Project of 8

BEFORE

AFTER

COMPLETING A 5S PROJECTo SUSTAIN is the Hardest ‘S’Sustaining a 5S Project once completed is the hardest step. Oftentimes people fall into old habits of not putting things in their designated areas, or they get too busy to maintain organizing systems that have been implemented. It’s important to always keep the “Sustain” step in your mind and project plan to ensure this is as intuitive and deviation-proof as possible.

o Inform othersPart of ensuring the Sustain Step is to inform others. This can be part off the Report Out of your project and it can also include training others. Training can include informing colleagues or other departments that a space has been 5S’d and is no longer a dumping ground for excess, it may include training on organization systems such as Kanban or perishable inventory processes and other procedural training and re-design.

o Report Out – VisuallyThis is where your Before and After pictures are key. The Report Out of your completed 5S Project should yield a measurable visual result. Sometimes, you will be reporting out to upper management staff that may not be aware of the Beginning state, so the most impact can be to show your Before Pictures, the visual plan and how the After Pictures closely relate to the plan and the changes you and your team’s efforts brought.

The ADDITIONAL 5S’s from LEAN Implementation & Six Sigma Action Systems

SafetySafety is a cornerstone to all 5S projects. This can range from making the targeted workspace a safer environment to ensuring the safety of those team members executing the project, i.e. no unsafe heavy lifting.SecuritySecurity is another important consideration that may not be obvious. This can range from ensuring that sensitive information is not open and available to team members that shouldn’t have access to them but do because of the project execution to building security systems as part of the 5S Project plan.

S STEPS REGARDING EXCESSSell-off Part of 5Sing is to remove excess, but there should be a clear plan on what to do with that excess. Can it be sold or traded, can it be recycled, can it be donated to charity? SalvageAnother category to consider is what can be salvaged. If something is in disrepair and it costs less to repair than to replace, this should be part of your project budget and cost savings. ScrapThe last category with excess is scrapping. In some cases this may not be much of an impact but in other areas, as with obsolete and expensive inventory, this can have a major impact to finances if a write-off has to be performed. Keep this in mind when planning and as part of your approval.

At L.I.S².A. Systems©, I focus on an additional set of 5S’s that I have found to be critical to the success of 5S/ LEAN Projects:

Understanding How 5S Applies to More Than the Physical Space

There is a common belief that 5Sing applies to physical spaces only, but in fact there are many intangible areas that 5s application can make a major impact to the overall efficiency of a business. And they all begin with ‘S’:

SoftwareSoftware and databases make for very interesting 5S projects. Many businesses have experienced turnover at some point in the life of the organization and shared files and databases and software modules that were once used, are no longer relevant and they can take up valuable space on your infrastructure and/ or cause your employees to waste lots of time trying to find things they need due to the disorganization. Social MediaIn today’s business world, social media is moving fast and there is almost always a new marketing app or network to be part of and keep your business on the cutting edge. Many times, however, passwords to these various social media profiles and platforms can get lost with turnover, some social media platforms become irrelevant due to new, and better ones created, or they may have outdated information on them due to lack of maintenance.SOPsStandard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are another neglected area and prime for 5S projects. While a 5S Project may yield new SOPs as part of its Sustain step, an entire 5S project can be built around ensuring your SOP system is labeled correctly, current with the actual operations and functional and available to those that use them and perform said operations.

BEFORE

AFTER

Bedroom & Basement Project – ResidentialBy Lisa Machos – Solo Project

SORT

STRAIGHTENSHINE

STANDARDIZE

SUST

AIN

THE AMAZING, INCREDIBLE, POWERFUL

5S

Authored By: Lisa MachosLEAN Implementation & Six Sigma Action Systems

For more information on 5S applications or to inquire about 5S

implementation for your organization, please visit:

https://www.lisamachos.com/lean Click HERE to check out a video of one of my favorite 5S Transformations.